Pieces Between
by Queen
Summary: They began as officers, comrades, friends. They didn't quite manage to keep it that way. Rex/Ahsoka
1. Act 1 Scene 1 a little beginning

_Pieces Between_

_It started out as a feeling  
Which then grew into a hope  
Which then turned into a quiet thought  
Which then turned into a quiet word_

_And then that word grew louder and louder  
'Til it was a battle cry…._

'_The Call', Regina Spektor_

_

* * *

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Act 1. Scene 1. a little beginning

Ahsoka wasn't sure if she should be angry or grateful.

Entering the medical bay, she looked around, searching amid the similar faces for the one that was more familiar than the others. She found Rex lying on one of the beds, sleeping. Though his injuries appeared to be healed, he was still a chalky grey color, his brows pinched slightly as though still feeling some ache from the healing process. He looked far better than the last time she'd seen him, being hauled away on a stretcher, bloodied from their most recent mission. There were always too many casualties. Too many brought back to the ship to be placed in the bacta tanks, too many filling the medical bay after a fight. Too many buried. Too many left behind.

Rex taking an unnecessary risk to jump in to help her filled her with a mixture of relief at the aid – there had been so _many_ droids – and anger at the risk he was taking – she was handling them just _fine_, if with a little more effort than she'd have liked, _thank you_. Watching him catch a blaster bolt, when he hadn't needed to be there in the first place, nearly made her heart stop. It wasn't easy watching any of the clones go down, but Rex was a particular friend.

She sighed, slipped her hand into his, and gave it a quick, reassuring squeeze. "Just don't do anything like that again," she told him, then watched as he stirred, eyes opening blearily and eventually settling on her. He looked vaguely puzzled.

"Commander?"

"Hey. Sorry, did I wake you?" He shook his head slightly, eyes focusing as he continued to emerge from sleep. "You were in the bacta tank for about a day," she told him. "Blaster to the chest, remember?"

"Don't remind me," he muttered, shifting to make himself more comfortable. "The mission?"

"Well, we made it out alive." Then added, giving him a serious look and a frown, "Barely. You need to be more careful. You almost got yourself killed."

"Sorry sir." She almost missed the small smile that twitched across his lips at that, the tone changing from polite apology to vaguely indulgent, as though he were patronizing her.

She scowled. "I'm serious, Rex."

"Just trying to help, kid."

"I don't need you helping me into your early death." She tried to lighten the conversation, not really wanting to argue, and so added with a light smile, "Besides, who could replace you?"

Rex chuckled a little. "And who could replace _you, _Commander? You're a Jedi. I'm a clone. With all due respect, sir, it's what we were born for. I would be easily replaced."

She knew this. The clones, Rex included, were born to fight, to defend, and ultimately to die for the sake of the war, for the sake of the Republic. She stood and risked her own life every day beside them, didn't she? Knew their names, knew the differences between their faces and personalities. She knew why they were created, but it didn't mean she had to like it. He was worth more than he was giving himself credit for.

"You are not _replaceable_ to me!" she snapped at him, suddenly angry. The words sounded loudly in the medical bay, and the quiet hum of machinery seemed to fill the room. Aware of her own voice, she glanced around. A medical droid was frozen midstride, staring at them, then quickly hurried on its way. Ahsoka flushed. "That was really loud."

Rex tried to smother a laugh, and as Ahsoka returned her gaze to him, he said, "Thank you, sir."

It was then that she noticed her hand was still holding his, and, somewhere within the last few moments, it had begun to hold hers back.

* * *

Hello all. Hmm, this is mostly the product of being a little overly-busy lately, and my brain apparently needing to blow off some steam. Chapters shall be short, usually mushy, and hopefully posted with some regularity since I have an outline laid out for myself. Though I've been a SW fan since I was little, this is my first foray into the fandom and writing for it, so hopefully there will not be any blatant mistakes.

_Star Wars_, of course, does not belong to me (ha, I _wish_).

Do enjoy the ramblings in here.

~Queen


	2. Act 1 Scene 2 a little sunset

Act 1. Scene 2. a little sunset

Her skin was the color of sunset.

He knew Togruta had orange skin, but there seemed to be a difference between knowing something and being truly aware of it. He'd spent weeks - months, even- around the Commander, seeing her as Commander Tano, as a Jedi Padawan, as a superior officer lacking experience, but a superior officer nonetheless, one working hard towards proving herself every day in the field. A fellow officer, even a friend.

He knew she was pretty. It was hard to see anything female as something other than pretty, to be honest, when he spent practically all his time around his brothers, who were definitely not pretty. Not that he disliked his brothers, but there was a distinct lack of feminine company in the Grand Army of the Republic.

He tried to shake it off. Ahsoka was a Jedi commander, he was a clone, and no matter how much she may respect him, and him her, she was completely off-limits.

It didn't bother him before. It didn't occur to him before. Now it did. He didn't like it.

It was especially hard to ignore her when she was standing at the top of a hill, the sunset behind her, casting her into odd shadows, the russet hue of her skin a deeper shade against the light.

It was too easy to cast his memory back, to recall the warm feeling of her palm pressing his. Of angry blue eyes scowling at him when he dismissed the importance of his life. Not replaceable. He was not replaceable. She meant it as a friend, as a commander.

But then, she hadn't released his hand. Hers was small, delicate, and strong within his.

The lightsaber she held in that hand ignited green, casting an emerald glow at her side. "Let's go, guys," she said, and Rex, like his brothers beside him, surged forward towards the new battle.

* * *

This is probably one of the shorter scenes. This one and the next, I think, will be the shortest. After that, they should lengthen out a little.

~Queen


	3. Act 1 Scene 3 where to rest your eyes

Act 1. Scene 3. where to rest your eyes

She wasn't sure how things changed, but somehow, they had.

Since that day in the medbay, Rex looked at her differently. She was strangely aware of him as well, and sometimes caught him watching her at odd times. She found herself glancing away when he did, mostly from uncertainty. She had meant her words. He was irreplaceable. They all were. But something in the words, something in saying it out loud, to him, her hand in his, had changed things. She had only meant to be encouraging when she slipped her hand into his. Nothing more.

She knew what was happening. It was even normal, in a way. Most girls her age, ordinary girls her age, ones not leading men into battle and following reckless Jedi masters around, would be expected to experience something like this. But she was not an ordinary girl, in an ordinary situation, and Rex was not an ordinary man, either.

No good could come of it. She should be direct. Say something. Make it back to the way it was.

But she didn't know how. And some part of her didn't want to. She felt jumpy, awkward, but oddly pleased by the attention. Standing around while Master gave orders to them at the same time had suddenly become a peculiar ritual of listening to instructions, noticing whether or not Rex had his helmet on that day, and trying to determine exactly how close she wanted to stand by him. Near made her jumpy but not entirely in a bad way. Far left her relaxed, but without that pleasantly nervous feeling.

When the meeting concluded, and Anakin headed towards R2 and his fighter, she stood still, Rex beside her. She could feel the ghost of his hand in hers, and the memory of it warmed her.

* * *

I think this will be the shortest chapter. Next chapter will be both longer and more…interesting. :D

~Queen


	4. Act 1 Scene 4 a flicker about her

Act 1. Scene 4. a flicker about her

He almost continued past her, when he saw her standing by the window.

Her head was turned slightly to the side, searching the stars beyond the glass, a spot of warm color against the dull grey of the durasteel, against the black of space, against the white stars. He could see a shadow of loss on her face. Her gaze was searching, scanning the depths of the black. A hand rested lightly on the glass, palm leaving a faint print against it. A finger would occasionally twitch and tap against it soundlessly.

He held his distance for a moment, then ventured, "Are you all right, Commander?"

She started, then turned to look at him. She smiled, a little sheepishly. "I'm fine, Rex." There was a pause as they looked at each other, then Ahsoka quickly ducked her head away and back towards the sky, a little tension apparent in the way she held herself, shoulders pulled close together and arms wrapped around her waist. He hesitated, unsure of his welcome. Then she said, "Shili is somewhere that way," nodding her head in the direction vaguely behind them, the stars moving idly by as the _Resolute_ glided through space. She gave him an uncertain look, a little wary, as though not entirely sure if she really wanted him there, or if he would want to stay.

After a moment, he stepped forward into the hallway, standing an arm's length apart. Perhaps this was the occasion he'd been looking for, an opportunity to get past the strange awkwardness that had grown up between then these past few weeks. "Why Shili?"

"I was born there. Master Plo Koon found me and brought me to the temple, but I was born on Shili." Her body relaxed slightly, a hand returning to its' place on the glass, outlined faintly by the light from the stars outside. "It's funny, Rex." She tilted her head, looking at him with a small smile. "I was born there, and I've only been back once," she made a small gesture at the akul-tooth headdress that framed her face. "Sad, huh?"

Unsure how to respond, he stayed silent, watching her carefully. She continued again, after a moment, her voice edged with a little dry humor. "You know what I realized this morning? My birthday was two days ago. Kind of forgot with all the fighting and planet-saving." She smiled out into space, lips turned upward in a crescent.

She'd always been the kid, rank and abilities aside. It was another thing that bothered him about the day in the medical bay. She was older than him, technically speaking, but it was usually hard to think of her as anything other than the kid capable of talking back at General Skywalker and getting away with it.

Standing there now, though, her expression both amused and somewhat pained, hand raised to the glass and lips smiling, there was a lack of immaturity, and a flicker of the adulthood that was beginning to settle on her.

Young, but not a youngling.

"When's your birthday, Rex?" she asked him, the seriousness dropping away from her as she folded her arms and leaned against the glass. "You've got to have one."

He shifted uncomfortably. There was no time to be a child during training, to indulge in something like the celebration of a birthday. "I'm not sure of the day. No one ever really made a point of having birthdays on Kamino."

She looked at him thoughtfully, then brightened. "Then today's your birthday. What do you want?"

"Uh, sir? Sorry, but I don't follow."

"As a present," she explained. "I want…" she grinned, then looked out into space, waving a hand across the window in a broad gesture. "A trip to the Western Sea, on Coruscant. To go swimming."

He blinked at her, watching as she pressed her hands against the glass, leaning away from it and gazing across the deep night of space, just before she turned to him with a broad smile and a quirked brow, expectant.

"Leave to go on a trip to Coruscant?" he offered, not entirely sure of what game she was playing with him. She laughed at that.

"Come on, Captain. Be more creative. You don't own anything but your armor, and all I've got is a lightsaber, which I can't give you as a present. So. What do you want for your birthday?" She gestured at the galaxy just beyond them. "Out of the whole universe?"

He thought for a moment, then answered, "Fewer suicidal missions with General Skywalker. Actually, no more suicidal missions with General Skywalker."

Ahsoka laughed, and he found himself smiling down at her. She added, "Dooku and all the rest locked up for good."

"Better food in the mess hall."

"Less people trying to kill us!"

"Less _droids_ trying to kill us."

"No more crazy Separatist plots to wreak havoc with the entire galaxy."

"The war to be over."

They paused, the last birthday wish heartfelt for each of them, but far heavier than the other suggestions. Ahsoka looked out the window again, placing a finger to the glass in the general direction of Shili. "A trip to Shili, to see my family." Her hand closed into a fist. "I wonder what they're like."

"I'm sure they'd be proud of you, sir," he told her, but the words didn't seem to give her any comfort. The hard look remained on her face. Things had seemed so relaxed just now, so much more the way they should be. He tried again. "There are people who care about you out here, too, Commander. You're not alone."

She looked up at him, surprised. "I didn't mean it like that. I know you care about me." The moment the words were out of her mouth, she bit her lip, eyes widening as she turned a funny shade. The unease that had been hovering between them returned abruptly. Rex tried to think of the right thing to say, something to diffuse things again, to make it easier. It was hard to see her looking so unsettled. He'd seen her face down some of the most frightening things in the galaxy since she joined the 501st, and the thought that she was somehow upset because of him left him with a sick feeling in his gut.

He wanted to reassure her, and words failed him. Uncertainly, he reached up to the window, wrapped his hand around her closed fist, and gave it a small squeeze, hoping she would understand. The embarrassment faded from her expression, and she slowly relaxed, the tension easing between them as well. He breathed out a long, slow sigh of relief as her hand opened beneath his, pressing against the glass. For a moment, their hands lay silhouetted there, one amber and small, the other tanned and heavy, outlined by the lights outside the ship and the stars beyond, flickering past their fingers as the ship moved forward.

It would be so easy, he realized in that moment, to close the small space between them.

It was so very hard not to.

* * *

* pushes Ahsoka to age. push push push *

The age difference issue is a bit problematic. Going by Rex and Ahsoka's biological ages (20 and 14, respectively, Rex being 10 chronologically), a six-year age gap is not really that large overall - just for the particular ages they are at the moment. It's a maturity gap as much as it is an age gap, and even that is hard to pin down with a Padawan being flung into a war where she has to lead men into battle and death, (things no normal 14 year old should ever be pushed into, Force powers or not) and a clone who, so far as I can tell, never had the opportunity to be a child at all (do little clones get recess when they're not training?).

Darn crazy sci-fi aging issues. .;

Also, according to the Wookiepedia, Plo Koon took Ahsoka to the Jedi Temple when she was three. I'm assuming she had to have gone back to Shili (or another planet with akul on it) to get the teeth for her headdress. As far as I'm aware of, there are no further details about Ahsoka making trips to Shili. If this is wrong, please let me know.

~Queen


	5. Act 1 Scene 5 allowing daydreams

Act 1. Scene 5. allowing daydreams

Ahsoka whispered, lowly, "Rex," to give him a moment of warning before she crept up behind him.

They had been on the planet for three days. It was densely forested, and apparently in the middle of its' rainy season, which made Ahsoka and the handful of clone troopers with her distinctly uncomfortable, as everything and everyone was constantly soaked. It was, for the moment, coming down only as a misty drizzle, casting everything into shifting grey shadows. She tugged the hood of her rainslicker up around her head again. The thing was obviously not made to accommodate montrals, and kept slipping off, awkwardly fitted, lacking enough space.

Each member of her team was situated around the upper valley, watching for any activity that may be passing through or from the listening post. Rex had taken up a point on a flat, mossy rock outcropping, overlooking the lower valley. It had taken two days to trace the signal, and now they were waiting for reinforcements before taking apart the listening post and the droids within. Ahsoka dropped herself down beside him, belly flat against the stone.

"Any change?"

"No sir." He lowered the binoculars to look at her as he spoke, face hidden behind his helmet. "They changed guards about half an hour ago, seems to be regular duty. I don't think they know we're here."

"Good," she said. Everything was going quite well. It would be good to lead a successful mission on her own. She held out her palm, face up, and Rex handed her the binoculars. His fingers brushed momentarily against hers. She fought a smile and lost. Things were still a little odd between them, but the tension seemed to have eased since the day at the window. She knew it was a bad idea, even to let her imagination run a little bit, to let it linger on the image of their hands twined against the glass. But it was so hard to understand why something that was so natural, so normal, that gave her a little bit of hope and joy in the midst of the war, could be so wrong. Surely it was alright, just for a little while, to allow herself a daydream?

She placed the binoculars to her eyes, looking through them and counting the droids monitoring the outer wall. They were the usual B1's, pacing back and forth idly. "It'd be nice if we could just go take them out ourselves," she murmured thoughtfully.

"We need to wait for backup. They still outnumber us."

"I know, I know," she sighed, handing him back the binoculars, and letting her hand remain on them for an extra moment, feeling his gloved hand whisk past hers again. She could feel the hesitation within him, see it in the way he held himself, even without seeing his face. It wasn't so different a feeling from hers, she knew. There was a moment, just a moment, that day at the window, she had been certain he was going to lean down and kiss her, before the tramp of boots in the outer corridor broke their reverie.

She was glad of it; she didn't know how she would have reacted if he had tried. She'd never been kissed before, but since that moment, couldn't quite help but wonder what the experience would be like.

"Any further communication from the General?" Rex asked, breaking the silence.

"Not since the last one an hour ago. He should be here in about two hours now, unless something's gone wrong again."

"It has been going easier than usual this time. I keep waiting for an ambush."

The words seemed to be an ill wish. The moment they passed into the air, there was a sudden crackle in the underbrush behind them, the sound of something large and clumsy breaking through the bracken, indistinguishable in shape in the mist. Trooper and Jedi alike flipped around, slipping into fighting stances, blaster pistols raised and lightsaber ignited, poised and ready.

From the shadows, a hulking figure emerged. It blinked large, dull brown eyes, and made a long, mooing sound at them. It tossed a shaggy brown head, stuck its' nose against the ground, snuffled, uprooted a tuber of some kind, took it in its teeth, then lumbered off, flicking its' tail at them.

Ahsoka and Rex looked at each other for a moment, and then Ahsoka covered her mouth with a hand, smothering a giggle as Rex chuckled quietly. She switched off her lightsaber as he holstered his weapon. "I guess that could have been worse," she said, looking up at him in amusement. A drop of rain dripped onto her forehead from the trees above, and she reached up to wipe it away, tugging at the hood of her slicker, trying to pull it back into place. "Stupid thing," she mumbled, resettling it.

She stopped for a moment, as Rex reached up, pulling it forward for her, tucking it more neatly around her face. She felt her breathing go shallow, quick, at the faint touch of his hands on her skin. As the moment hung between them, she reached, ever so hesitantly, ever so daringly, up to the bottom of his helmet. Dirty water droplets smudged under her fingers.

It couldn't be so wrong, could it? Just for a little while?

_No. _

She pulled upward, lifting it away from his face. It was unreadable, but very intent, focused on hers. She breathed deeply, dared herself, leaned up and forward, finished what was interrupted at the window.

It was so light, lasting the space of a single inhalation, a bare brushing of her lips against his. At her side, her fingers curled, tightly, impulsively, around the edge of his helmet. She pulled away only slightly, eyes half open, watching him as he watched her. She did not look away, and saw him draw slowly closer again, repeating what she had just done. So light, barely touching. But it lingered, his lips resting against hers, eyes drifting closed as did hers, the pressure deepening as the space between them closed.

It became slightly awkward, as they shifted themselves subtly, trying to learn how to lean against each other. She placed a hand on his shoulder, he a hand on her waist. She shifted uncomfortably as she was pulled against his armor, which was hard and angular, but it mattered only for a moment, because it was also warm and filled with him. He tasted faintly like the rations they were all stuck eating the last three days, and it made her smile into his mouth.

He pulled away, puzzled, looking at her. She flushed, grinned, reached up and gave him a small, swift kiss. He turned a very un-Rex-like shade of pink. It made her laugh, delighted.

"You're blushing," she told him, poking his cheek with a finger.

"I am not blushing," he said stoutly, beginning to turn purple and looking anywhere but at her.

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Rex?" she began, tilting herself to the side and angling herself around so that he had to look at her face. Once she had his attention, she said, "Don't argue with your Commander." She quickly kissed his cheek.

He stared at her for a moment, then a rumble worked its' way up through his chest, shaking his shoulders as he began to laugh. "Yes, sir."

* * *

Enjoy? Y/N?

~Queen


	6. Act 1 Scene 6 the pieces between

Act 1. Scene 6. the pieces between

It could not last, it would not last, they both knew it, and yet persisted anyway.

There came to be moments, pieces of time between missions, between orders, between injuries, between rescues, when a moment alone could be found. They saw their surroundings with newer eyes, seeking out corners and oblique angles where a touch, a caress, a kiss, could be quietly exchanged.

Ahsoka learned to walk in front of Rex, particularly when going through doorways. So long as Anakin, Obi-wan, or anyone else in their group walked ahead, she would, eventually, feel a quick brush of fingertips against the small of her back, leaving her skin prickling at the sensation.

Ahsoka rather liked how he found ways of doing that.

Rex learned that if he was being left behind on a mission, to pause for just a moment before turning to give orders to his own men. Ahsoka would walk a step behind General Skywalker, glance behind her, and give him a mischievous little smile of farewell, which he gradually learned meant, "Wait for me," and, eventually, "Wait for me at the window, because I'm going to kiss you a lot when I get back."

Rex rather liked that look.

They never spoke about their little romance. There were no declarations of love, no promises given or kept, but a silent language of glances, gestures, and small touches gave them little room for doubting the other. To speak of it would be to risk it, to give it form and solidity, something they shied from, keeping silent, as their relationship must be kept silent.

The only visible sign of their affection was washed away by a cleaning droid every evening. A smudge on one of the windows. It was there almost daily, two palm-prints left on the glass, one large, one small, crossing each other, fingers splayed outward, fanlike.

Days, weeks, months passed. A year. Two. The war rolled on. The number of soldiers thinned, so difficult to replace. It strained morale, exhausted everyone, all trying to cover so many places with so few, against so many.

Those small gestures and stolen moments formed an oasis of peace amid the chaos.

* * *

Just in case you didn't quite catch it, this chapter is essentially a Two Years Later jump. Suffice it to say there was mushy stuff happening between them, and now we're at a somewhat more relevant time period, where somewhat more important things will begin to happen in a couple chapters. *coughOrder66cough*

For anyone keeping count, Ahsoka has now turned seventeen. Rex is about twelve chronologically, making him approximately twenty-four-ish biologically.

~Queen


	7. Act 1 Scene 7 to protect them

Act 1. Scene 7. to protect them

They were only on Coruscant for a few days, but it was a chance to rest from the latest battle, to regroup, catch their breaths.

New strategies were discussed, and the Jedi Council ordered them implemented immediately. Ahsoka and Rex stood outside the _Twilight_, which was prepping to rendezvous with the _Resolute_ and the rest of General Skywalker's battle group. Clone troopers were steadily moving back and forth across the landing platform, making last minute preparations for their departure.

"Skyguy's running late," Ahsoka sighed, her arms folded, a finger tapping testily.

"Do you want me to check on him?" Rex asked, noticing the impatience. General Skywalker's behavior had been growing somewhat erratic of late, disappearing at times and growing irritable over small things that once would have been beneath notice. Rex supposed the war could even run down a Jedi.

"No, I'll do it," Ahsoka replied, giving him a tired smile before running off into the Senatorial building.

As the minutes stretched on, Rex began to wonder if something was wrong. His guess was confirmed when he saw the expression on Ahsoka's face as she walked quickly and stiffly back out of the building, her back straight and her pace tightly controlled. She caught his gaze, held it. She was alarmed, not frightened, but something she had seen had badly unnerved her. He angled himself towards her, stepping aside and out of the earshot of the other soldiers, so long as they kept their voices low.

"Everything alright, Commander?" he asked as she reached him.

"Fine, Captain." Her words and posture were casual, but she turned herself so that her face would not be easily seen by the others on the landing platform. "Master Skywalker is just saying goodbye to a friend."

As she said this, she flicked a hand at him, then at herself, tilted her head slightly, white brows raising just a fraction. It was a subtle motion, and if anyone happened to be watching them, all they would have seen or heard was a reasonable explanation for a Jedi's uncharacteristic tardiness.

Rex knew better. Behind the safety of his helmet, his eyes widened with alarm, and he forced himself not to jerk backward in surprise. Ahsoka's words and tone said 'friend' but her gesture implied a different meaning. A friend, much like Ahsoka was his friend.

Which is to say, a bit more than a friend.

He was often painfully aware of the possible consequences a relationship with a Jedi. Ahsoka was, he believed, somewhat safer than he was. She was still a Padawan, and her behavior would likely be considered a youthful indiscretion, something that would, in time, be swept under the carpet and quietly forgotten once some disciplinary measures were taken. They were too short on Jedi to dismiss a talented Padawan for a little imprudence.

He would probably serve out the war - and possibly his life - on the nearest ice planet, scrubbing toilets.

He and Ahsoka would be only a small scandal if discovered, her only claim to fame being the apprentice of General Skywalker. Few people outside the Jedi Order would probably care much. General Skywalker, however, was a Jedi Knight, the Chosen One, a great hero of the war, and if his friend was in the Senatorial building, then she was likely to also be high profile. His mind sped through possibilities, and settled on the most likely candidate: Padme Amidala. General Skywalker and the Senator were known to be friends, though there had never been any suspicion they were having an affair.

Not entirely different from himself and the General's Padawan.

If it was Amidala, it would be a political nightmare, a scandal that would smear itself across the Holonet within minutes of a revelation.

Rex looked at Ahsoka, watched her glancing back towards the building, biting her lip in worry. He wondered exactly what it was she saw, but did not doubt her certainty. Her relaxed pose was feigned, her shoulders and back tense, her spine straight.

Perhaps Ahsoka and her Master had been too well matched.

He stepped slightly closer to her, and said, quietly, "We'll have to protect them."

Ahsoka turned her blue eyes up to him, filled with a look of gratitude.

* * *

Hope you're still enjoying the story! Thank you so much to everyone who's been kind enough to review thus far – they're all appreciated! *sends hugs*

~Queen


	8. Act 1 Scene 8 the sound of armor

Act 1. Scene 8. the sound of armor

Ahsoka did not expect to see Rex on the other side of her door.

In the time they had spent together, she had never gone to the barracks, nor had he ever come to her tiny quarters on the _Resolute_. His sudden presence was both unsettling and delightful, as he seemed to fill up the room by simply hovering, with some uncertainty, just inside the doorway. He was battered, stained with dirt, carbon char, and streaks of browning blood. There were a few new dents in his armor.

The door slid to a close behind him.

She knew why he was here, and began with an apology, reaching out and placing her hands on his shoulders. "I'm sorry, Rex. I had to talk with Master for awhile, and he walked with me all the way back here. I didn't mean to scare you."

The tension that Rex was holding back drained away, and he relaxed forward, leaning towards her, brushing a hand across her face, fingers stopping only when they reached the thick pad of bacta-laden gauze that was taped to her cheek. Other, similar bandages were laced across her left arm, and another patch was stuck against her left hip. He touched each of them, lightly. His relief was palpable, but also his concern at the injuries.

It was dangerous, him coming here. Should anyone notice they were both gone, had anyone seen Rex enter her quarters and not come back out fairly quickly, it could begin to unravel the secrecy they had maintained for so long. It spoke of how worried he was about her, to take such a risk to check on her personally.

It had become a tradition, after battles, to be sure they at least saw each other once they had reached some form of safety. In the aftermath, there was usually much work to be done, orders given, soldiers checked on, repairs to be made. It was usually a glance, a small nod of the head in acknowledgement that the other was alive, safe and whole. There was no time for a longer reunion amid the work that needed doing.

This time was different. The battle had been bitter, each side deeply entrenching itself into the ruins of the city. Ahsoka had felt a stab of fear not her own, and had broken through a line of droids with a team of troopers as she raced to find him. Looking across a plaza, she watched as Rex and a squad of his brothers were thrown down as cannon fire tore apart the building they were evacuating.

She caught the wall that would have collapsed on top of them.

The others surrounded her, taking up defensive positions and giving her some measure of protection as she concentrated, blaster fire coming in from several directions at once. Rex and his group were back on their feet, moving towards her, away from the falling debris. Once clear, she hurled the wall into the final, straggling droids, and reignited her lightsaber. Shrapnel and rubble were thrown up as fresh blasts tore apart the city, one blow sending her staggering in pain as the paved road was wrenched apart beside her, debris tearing into her left side. She moved back towards the Republic's lines as a second batch of droids began to come her way, cutting her off from Rex and his group as clone troopers surged forward from behind her, taking her lead as a charge. They plowed into the enemy, driving them back and retaking lost ground.

Then Master arrived, and all turned to chaos.

She did not see Rex again until he appeared at her door. She knew he had survived. His solid, unshakable presence was always close, and it took little effort to reach out with the Force and know if he lived. Rex did not have that luxury, hence the tradition of checking on each other.

The battle had been as strange as it was bitter. Over the last several months, Anakin's behavior had continued to be somewhat erratic, distracted. It was him leading the troops that came to support her, and she was alarmed at the ferocity of her Master in battle. The droids had been crushed with astonishing violence, and afterward, he had looked at her and her bleeding arm with poorly disguised fear. Ahsoka was suddenly aware of how very much Anakin was afraid of losing her on the field. She gave him a grim smile, pulled herself up as best she could, and rejoined the fight.

She'd felt compelled to stay with him awhile afterwards, to find him once she had taken care of her injuries. It had been frightening to see him so angry, to watch her Master unleash such power against an enemy. She'd stayed to reassure him that she was alright, to try to calm him without being too direct about it. It was a strange feeling. It was usually the other way around, the Master encouraging the Padawan to calm, to not rush into things.

Rex said, "You had me worried, kid. I tried your comlink and couldn't get through."

She blinked, looking down at her left forearm. The wrist communicator showed a small but dark black spot in the middle of the control array. She looked embarrassed. "Guess it got blown up?" she offered sheepishly. She leaned backward, examining the new damage to his armor. "You aren't hurt anywhere, are you?"

"A few scratches and lumps. Nothing a day or two without getting shot at won't cure." She felt his hand return to the bacta patch at her side. "You're hurt."

"I'm alright. I got myself cleaned up." She slid a hand down to rest lightly on top of his. "I'll be fine by morning," she told him, smiling a little at the sight of their hands pressing against each other. She loved seeing the rust color of her skin against the tan of his. He stank of sweat, smoke and blood. Battle smells, but so alive. Her worries about Master could wait. She wasn't unaware of the fact she had Rex, alone, in her quarters, dangerous as it was. It was a little exciting. They'd never dared so much.

Longer reunions between them, once things had settled down, were usually a little more involved. She raised herself slightly onto her toes and pulled his face downward to meet hers. She could sense the fear of losing her in him. It was there often when they reunited after a battle, particularly bad ones. They did not speak of it; she feared losing him as much as he feared losing her. It was not easy to contain it, to control it. But they tried.

Time alone after a battle was a chance to press herself against him, feel how alive he was, his warmth and his breath. To know they were alive, and still had some time together, as hard as that time may be. He kissed her face, her forehead, the facial markings on her cheeks, as she held his face lightly in her hands. She reached out, brushed her Force sense against him, felt the strength of him vibrate steadily, reassuringly, back to her, both his worry and his fear, but also what she had come to understand was happiness and desire and love, too. It was a steady, gleaming glow between them. She cherished it, and pressed it back towards him as best she could, hoping he could feel some measure from her of what she could from him.

To just forget, to feel alive, to be with the one she wanted most. No war, just peace. It had given her a horrifying blaze of terror when she emerged into that plaza, only to see him seconds from being crushed. The image of Rex, dead, flitted painfully through her mind. If she had not gotten there when she had, they would not be standing together right now. How many times had they replayed similar scenes? How many times had he defended her, and how many times had she protected him?

So short was the life of a clone. So short and so violent. Perhaps this was why attachment was forbidden. To lose him now would cause her such incredible pain. It could drive a person mad. But it was worth it, she decided, to go through the pain of loss than to have never have had a moment like this.

Now was the time of aftermath, of things returning to normal, of troopers not injured wandering around to do the ordinary things in life. Eat. Sleep. Heal.

They had a little time. Rex would not have come if he had been seen, and would have already left if he was expected elsewhere. She pulled back slightly, the color in her face deepening, and caught his attention. She shifted a little, a questioning look on her face as she looked at the door, then cast a short glance behind them, where her bunk lay, neatly made. She lifted an eyebrow, smiled a little, shyly, a bit torn between nervousness and the excitement of the idea.

Because of today, they were out of time, and would not have many more such chances left.

He paused for a moment, looking at her, considering. She barely caught his nod before he was kissing her again, crushing her against him.

Then came the sound of armor falling to the floor.

* * *

End Act 1.

* * *

Act 1 was meant to be the development of a relationship between them. Act 2 will pick up with Order 66 and go through the consequences of that. So, this isn't the end. ^_^ There will be one more chapter before Act 2 begins, which wasn't what I initially planned, but I think it will help set things up a bit better, and will explain why they're now 'out of time'.

Am still a little…hmm…cautious…about the age issue, though they've both aged up a bit. I hope I haven't pressed it too hard going ahead with this.

~Queen


	9. Intermission

~Intermission~

As the door slid to a close, Rex vanishing into the light of the hallway, Ahsoka curled herself smaller, tucking the blanket around herself warmly, tightly.

She smiled, giggled a little, then shook her head. Too silly. Then she sighed, frowned at the empty space beside her. It echoed with his presence. She closed her eyes, ran a hand over the still slightly warm space beside her on the mattress.

They knew this would happen someday; now there was so little time left.

She coiled up, buried her face into her pillow, breathed deeply. There was a smell of carbon char, dirt and sweat on it, altogether familiar, and though it should have smelled rather bad, it brought a smile back to her lips. Rex needed some time in the fresher.

She suddenly felt both shy and bold all at once. It had been so utterly clumsy, yet so utterly wonderful, with both of them fumbling around in the semi-darkness of her quarters. She glanced at the chrono on her desk. She wished he could have stayed, could have spent time laying beside her, just being there. But it was bad enough they'd taken such a risk of discovery. Romantic lingering, however much desired, would increase the likelihood of suspicion too much.

She hadn't told him. Hadn't dared. She could give him a little time, before Master went around making the announcements.

As they'd talked after the battle, as she'd reassured him and carefully skirted the edge of discussing his frightening fury on the battlefield, Anakin had walked with her back to her room. His parting words were both terrifying and awe-inspiring.

"_You did good today, Snips_," he'd said, then looked at her thoughtfully, seriously. "_Maybe it's time_."

"_Time?_"

"_To send you back for your Trials_."

It had taken her breath away. Her mad dash after Rex had led to a charge, then a bulge and break in the lines. It turned the tide of the battle. A day and a half later, the planet was back in their hands. It was not her action alone that carried the day, but it had been a catalyst, the hinge on which the fight swung. Her moment of blind audacity, for his sake. And it was giving her a Knighthood.

The act of ascending from Padawan to Knight was a long held, precious dream that she had waited years for. She could barely think the next few minutes, until Rex appeared at her door, and she realized they had not made their usual post-battle contact.

She pressed the pillow to her face, breathing in his smell. She squeezed her eyes shut, willed back sudden pain.

Part of her wanted to scream at the unfairness of it. To find a way, somehow, to drag Rex with her, when she became a Knight and had her own command. General Tano. General Ahsoka Tano, Jedi Knight. Her dream. Her future. The image of herself formed in her mind, herself as a Knight, proud, strong, invincible.

Everything she wanted. Except Rex. Throughout the time they were together, he had become her anchor, her rock – what kept her steady through the battles, the death and the destruction. In turn, she knew she had become a source of laughter and joy for him, a way to forget the ruin of war they so often walked away from. The dead cities, the dead brothers, the glass, duracrete and bodies all broken on the ground together.

As a Jedi Knight, she would have more power to protect those same people. The thought of her future was unusually cold comfort. She still wanted it. Still wanted to be a Knight, still wanted to have her own command. Wanted to save the galaxy, wanted to fight for herself and for others. A Jedi, a peacekeeper, a protector – a defender of those who could not defend themselves.

Was it was selfish, to want it all, including him? Attachment. This was the price of attachment.

She dug her fingers into the pillow. She would pay it. The time they had was worth the pain. But it wasn't fair he would have to pay as well. She was the one forbidden; it should be only her paying the price.

There was no real choice in the matter. Besides, she was a Jedi. It was who she was. She could no more stop being a Jedi than he could stop being a clone. They each had responsibilities that could not go ignored. She would, always, choose the Jedi. It was her life, it was her dream. She couldn't give that up. Not for anything. Or anyone.

Forbidden. A heavy word.

She would tell him herself. Before Master started announcements and people began to talk, to congratulate. For tonight though, she would let him think they had as much time as possible left. Months, or even another year. She could carry the burden alone this night.

There may be chances to see each other. She would always be Anakin's Padawan. They would cross paths occasionally. She could know how he was doing, if he was safe, if he was alive and well. But when she left for her Trials, it would be the end.

She looked at the doorway. Maybe. Maybe another chance. A final one. Master would come to her Trials, wouldn't he? It wouldn't be too unusual if Rex was there as well. They were known friends and had seen many battles together. She could drop hints, make a request if that didn't work. If she couldn't have the entire 501st there, then surely one clone could come to represent her friends? Rex was the obvious choice.

If there was a chance, any chance, of seeing him one last time before her Trials, of having just one more night like this, she would take it, at any price.

One night to say goodbye to everything.

She hugged the pillow close, closed her eyes, and slept.

* * *

Oddly, this was written out or order to the other chapters, something I don't think I've done before (I usually write straight through) so hopefully the flow is alright. It was also rather unplanned.

So now, we're off to Act 2 and Order 66!

~Queen


	10. Act 2 Scene 1 and she cried

_Pieces Between_

_Love is like a friendship caught on fire._

_In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering._

_As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable._

_- Bruce Lee_

_

* * *

_

Act 2. Scene 1. and she cried

It had been months since he'd seen her.

She had been delighted to learn she was to take her Jedi Trials, but nervous too. The small amounts of time they could spend together privately dwindled as she trained harder. Rex and some of the other clones often gathered to watch, assist, or give advice. It seemed like the entire legion would drift through the training areas to provide some sort of support, and when Ahsoka left for Coruscant, she left with the goodwill and best wishes of many men she had fought beside.

They had made their private goodbyes earlier. Saying goodbye in the landing bay was formal and polite. She told him she hoped he would be there, along with General Skywalker, for her tests. He hoped he could. He didn't expect to, but as the 501st ended up being summoned by General Skywalker to Coruscant shortly before Ahsoka's Trials, he was glad to know he could be there for her.

He had told himself not to expect any further time with her, but when he received a communication asking him to meet her, late, he found a way to get out of the barracks. Soldiers would periodically be sent on errands, and as a captain, he would be expected to attend the occasional strategy meeting. He was worried he would be stopped and questioned, kept a reasonable explanation for his late-night wandering ready, but did not need it.

He disliked the sneaking. Felt dishonest. In a way, it was. _Forbidden_.

But she would pass her Trials. She would be given her own command, and he would not be in it. As the General's former Padawan, they may cross paths occasionally, but it would never be the same.

He would miss her. It hurt.

The moment she passed the Trials, she would be gone from his life. They would both have to move on. This was a final farewell, a final chance to be with her. This was worth the risk.

He couldn't stay at the hotel they'd found much longer. It was late, and the later it became, the more difficult it would be to get back into the barracks with a minimum of notice. It was hard to leave. Ahsoka was lying beside him on the bed, eyes closed in sleep, a hand curled up under her cheek. The kid he had met three years ago was gone, and that flicker of adulthood he had seen in her was now a bright glow. The remaining roundness to her face had disappeared, replaced by high cheekbones and a delicate chin. Her montrals curved gently upward, her headtails gently down. She was still short, but small curves had filled her out. Her lips were turned up into a little smile, slightly parted, as she breathed. Faint scars could be seen here and there on her, like little bits of lace left from battles. The hand that was lying carelessly out beside her, open, showed calluses on the palm, evidence of so many hours of work with a lightsaber.

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

He would have to wake her to say goodbye. To try this again would be too dangerous for both of them. It was insane even trying it tonight. He didn't want to risk her impending knighthood over him any further. And yet, so hard to leave, and so hard to stop.

Rex stood to get dressed, began pulling on clothes and armor. He had just reattached his comlink when it went off. He sucked in a breath. Someone must have realized he was missing. He straightened himself out and opened the channel, ready to give his excuse, to run back as fast as possible.

The words that came out of the comlink had nothing to do with his absence.

The order was short, abrupt. "_Execute Order 66_."

For a moment, the words did not register. He stared at the open comlink, listened to it switch abruptly off with a faint buzz of static.

Order 66. The Jedi have betrayed the Republic. Execute the traitors.

As the meaning sank into his head, he spun to look at Ahsoka, still quietly sleeping. A hand had wandered out further, was now resting in the depression on the bed that he had made as he'd lain there. Her lips had pulled into a puckered frown. His stomach turned.

His blaster pistols were sitting on the floor, beside the last of his armor. He could pick one up, aim, put a blast through her head before she woke. She would never know, never feel any pain.

She'd followed orders, obeyed General Skywalker, done her duty, fought for the survival of the Republic, trained, worked, fought beside him and his brothers for years. She had never done anything wrong. He was there to bear witness to that.

Obey orders. Perform your duty. Loyalty to the Republic. He'd lived by those beliefs. There were no exceptions in the order. If the Jedi had betrayed the Republic, then Ahsoka would side with the Jedi, even if she herself had done nothing. It would brand her a traitor as well.

To let her live would be defiance. Should anyone discover it, he would also be condemned.

He could give her a swift death. A painless death. A death that would be a betrayal of the trust she had given him so freely and for so long.

Did he not also owe her his loyalty? Had he not followed her into battle, saved her, been saved by her, more times than he could remember? His Commander, his friend, his partner?

Could he betray his beloved?

_No_.

The decision was made. The choice to let her live gave him only one course of action, and branded a fate upon him as well. There was no time to dwell on it, to mourn. The order was given. There would be a media blackout until the order was complete. The ordinary citizens of Coruscant would not know until official announcements or until screams reached them in the night. Stay away from clones. Stay away from anyone related to the government or military. Get to a ship. Get off-world.

Run.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her roughly, pulling her up until she was sitting, a little bewildered at being suddenly dragged upright. "Rex?" Her expression abruptly grew serious as she took in the look on his face. "What happened?"

"We have to leave. Now."

Her face grew alarmed. "Did someone…no. Wait, Rex, what's going on?"

He shoved clothes at her, and she scrambled to gather them together as he pulled on his helmet. "An order has been given. We have to leave."

"Order? What order? Is there a battle? Here?" she was dressing quickly, grabbing up her lightsaber and attaching it to her belt. "Rex, would you tell me what's going on? Grievous couldn't possibly be trying to attack Coruscant _again_…."

Her words faded into the air as she stood suddenly still, chin tilted upward, eyes suddenly going glassy and wide as she stared at the ceiling. She gasped, hands flying to her mouth, and Rex grabbed her arms as she stumbled backwards, a shriek rising in her throat. He shook her, hard, calling her name in the sharp voice he usually reserved for rookies getting out of line. "Ahsoka! Focus! Pay attention!"

It got through to her, if momentarily. Her eyes refocused on him, then began to swell with pain. "Master Secura," she said, and he could feel her beginning to tremble under his hands. "Master Luminara," the next name came out as a choked whisper. "Master Plo." The first tears began to slip out of her eyes and down her cheeks. "Gone. Gone. They're gone. They screamed and now they're gone…" her face began to contort again, and Rex shook her a second time.

"Ahsoka! Block it out! We have to leave. Do you understand me?" he took her face in a hand, forcing her to look at him. "An order has been given. The Jedi have been marked as traitors to the Republic. You will be hunted. We have to go. _Now_."

He wasn't sure how much got through to her. Her eyes were distant, unfocused, flickering around wildly as though she were seeing things that were not before her. Expressions slipped across her face rapidly, slowly cumulating into shock. He grabbed her arm, dragging her out of the building and onto the landing pad, trying to keep her from stumbling.

There was a human couple standing by a speeder, looking ready to go into the hotel they were vacating. He pulled a blaster, causing the pair to pull backward in fear. "I'm commandeering your vehicle," he told them flatly, as they rapidly backed away, hands in the air. He shoved Ahsoka into the passenger seat, took the drivers' for himself, and tore off into traffic, aiming away from the Jedi Temple. If it was Jedi the Republic wanted to kill, then it was at the Jedi Temple they would be found.

Off-planet. Ships. They needed a landing platform. He spared a glance at Ahsoka, who was doubled over in the seat, her hands pressed against her face, her shoulders shaking badly. Off-planet. Fast. She was in no condition to do anything. Whatever was happening, she was seeing it, watching it in whatever way Jedi sensed things from a distance.

He took them away from the Jedi Temple, away from the Senate building, further, deeper into the depths of Coruscant. No ships that would be heavily guarded. Nothing belonging to the military, nothing belonging to the government, nothing belonging to smugglers or others who may be heavily armed. He couldn't take such a ship while protecting Ahsoka, who looked as though she would be of no use in a fight for awhile. That meant small, personally owned craft. Nothing by anyone too wealthy, since they'd have heavy security.

The minutes felt like hours. Eventually, he managed to find a platform of ships near a run-down casino. Mostly smaller craft, and a flyby showed that security was lax. He landed the speeder, took Ahsoka's hand, pulled her carefully out. For a moment, she saw him again, looking up at his face with such despair it took his breath away. She reached out, clutched at him.

"We have to get on a ship," he told her as gently as he could. "We're almost there." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, steering her towards a battered old transport vessel near the edge of the platform and away from the security cameras mounted to the outside doors. He kept her next to him. The platform was empty, but people could be arriving or leaving at any time. Faster. Had to get into one, had to get the door open, had to get the engine hot-wired.

He'd barely gotten the hatch open when she stiffened and suddenly began to turn. He reached out, pulling her backward and against him as she began to struggle, then scream. He hauled her up, her feet leaving the ground as he pulled her into the ship, kicking and frantically trying to writhe her way away from him.

Her words made no sense to him at the time, her voice rising into a crescendo of panic.

"No! _No!_ Master, no! Let me go! _Let me go!_ I have to stop him! He's killing them! _He's killing them all!_ No! Master, no, no, _no!_"

Rex slammed his shoulder into the lever that would close the doors, hauling her inside and into some small measure of safety. An alarm began to blare outside, her screams having being heard. He dragged her into the cockpit, her legs going out from under her abruptly as she sagged to the floor, pressing her forehead down and pounding a fist against it.

He began ripping apart the command console. He didn't usually need hacking skills. Not his specialty. There was usually an astromech droid for this sort of thing. But he remembered his training, how to make basic repairs, how to get an engine going. He could see men in security uniforms heading towards them, blasters drawn. They were nothing compared to what he was used to fighting. Almost comical in comparison. But they were many, he was one, Ahsoka was shuddering on the floor, and the galaxy had just turned itself upside down.

The engine sparked to life. He hauled back on the controls, taking them sharply upward as a handful of blasts shot vainly towards them.

He programmed the navigational computer. Anywhere but here. Faster. Farther. He aimed for the Outer Rim. The second they were out of the atmosphere, he punched them into hyperspeed.

A dull voice came from the floor behind him, and he swiveled to see Ahsoka, pressing her palms flat against the cold durasteel floor. She did not look up, but said, distantly, "Tatooine."

"Ahsoka?"

She closed her eyes, her head hanging down and her voice a scratchy whisper. "He hates Tatooine. Won't go there. They're dead. They're all dead. He killed them. _All _of them. He hates Tatooine."

Rex slipped out of the captain's chair, knelt down beside her, and pulled her against him.

And she cried.

* * *

Is there any kind of canon stating where these two are supposed to be when Order 66 goes down?

If I'm understanding events right, the 501st was with Vader when he stormed the Jedi Temple, which would imply that Rex, at least, was on Coruscant. The timeline at this point is a little hard to follow because events are moving so rapidly. If my timeline is off, I apologize, and please feel free to enlighten. ^_^

~Queen


	11. Act 2 Scene 2 those who remain

"…_all human wisdom is contained in the words 'Wait and hope!'_

_-'The Count of Monte Cristo', Alexandre Dumas_

_

* * *

_

Act 2. Scene 2. those who remain

They reached Tatooine.

Ahsoka was numb, the first few days. They blended together, fuzzy with pain and confusion. She drifted through, eating little, sleeping little, alternating between reaching out with the Force to make sense of the tragedy unfolding around her, and pulling back into herself when the despair of it became too great.

She kept trying to reach Skyguy. Every attempt ended in the same result. A brush against a vast pit of rage over the distance between stars.

She tried, hoping to reach a different result, over and over again, pouring all her energy into reaching out across space, focusing, meditating. Slowly, she began to recoil from attempting to reach him, withdrawing into herself and away. Something had shattered her Master. The pain of reaching the other end of their bond was too great. It hurt too much to reach out.

After weeks of attempts, she broke down and accepted the truth.

Whoever – _whatever_ - was calling itself by the name of 'Darth Vader' was not her Master.

Anakin Skywalker was dead.

Eventually, word came of a final massacre. A few Jedi who'd survived had tried to band together. They'd failed.

Everything, everyone, was gone. The Republic, which stood for thousands of years, was gone. They were a remnant of a dead government, a dead order.

They sold the little transport they'd stolen, with a bit of guilt. They had nothing besides Rex's armor, Ahsoka's lightsaber, the junk in the transport, and ship itself. They needed credits. Credits to buy food, credits to find shelter, credits to buy less conspicuous clothes. They sold everything except her lightsaber and Rex's blasters. She half-heartedly tried talking him into keeping his armor, but his answer was harshly realistic: "_I'm a clone._ _The armor makes me even more easily identifiable. Too dangerous_." She hated seeing the pain on his face when they left the shop, credits in pocket and nothing but weapons in hand.

They had been there two months when they found Obi-wan. She kept reaching out, kept searching, for someone, anyone, and felt a brush of his familiar presence. It was unexpected, and Ahsoka barely managed to keep herself from flinging her arms around him in relief when they met.

Someone else was alive. Master Kenobi was _alive_. He walked heavily, exhausted, but gave her such a look of joy when they stood face to face. "_How?_" he'd asked, incredulous.

Ahsoka and Rex stood before him awkwardly, and Ahsoka finally managed to say, "_We were together. Away from the Temple. Rex saved my life._"

Obi-wan looked at them, curiously for a moment, then his brows slowly rose in comprehension. Then he said, with a small, tired sigh, "_I see. I suppose this is neither the time nor the place to make judgments." _His eyes softened."_I'm glad you're alive. Both of you_."

They spent some time talking. They learned details of what had befallen the Jedi Temple, and Ahsoka buried her face in her hands to hear it spoken of. To hear of the fall of Anakin Skywalker, to hear firsthand of what he had become, and how.

"_How do we fight back?_" she'd demanded. _"What do we do?_"

"_We wait. We bide our time. Do not take action against Vader_," he told them, pressing the seriousness of his instruction onto them. "_We have lost this war. Master Yoda is safe on Dagobah. I will be here. We have set events into motion that will take time to come to fruition. Until then - hide, Ahsoka. Stay safe. This is a different kind of battle, and patience is the best weapon we have. When the time has come for the Jedi to return, you will know_, _and be needed_."

When she and Rex returned to the little room they were renting, she raged for some time, before finally settling down into meditation. She wanted to act. To fight! To run, to wait, to do nothing, even at the order of Master Kenobi seemed so horribly wrong. Whatever it was he was here to protect, whatever it was keeping him on Tatooine, it had better be important. And he had better be right.

She breathed, focusing on her breath, the in and out of it, releasing her frustration, her fear, her anger, venting it out into the Force.

She grew still.

After some time, Ahsoka opened her eyes, pulling herself out of meditation. She was sitting on their lumpy bed. A slash of light filtered in through the dirty window, bits of dust visibly floating through the air. Rex was sitting at the rickety desk beside the bed, trying to eat something unidentifiable. After a moment, he grimaced at it, looking disgusted, tossing his fork at it in distaste. She was still getting used to seeing him out of uniform, unshaven, and rather grimy. They'd bought dingy old clothes at a vendor's. They both smelled unpleasantly like banthas.

It was Rex who'd saved her. Who'd kept her going these past weeks. Over and over again, she'd been taught that attachment was wrong. This attachment had saved her life.

He'd lost everything too. Given it up, to protect her. The Jedi, her family, were dead. His brothers, the clones, were lost to him, though they still lived. He had taken on the burden of becoming a traitor for her sake.

She knew he did not regret it, though a slight brush of her mind against his revealed the continuing pain his decision gave him. He was born to fight. Born to protect the Republic, born to die for the Republic; the Grand Army of the Republic was all the life he ever knew. She could see how restless he was becoming. Something would have to change, and soon.

She struggled to pull herself together, to bring herself into focus again. She stretched out her legs, set her feet on the floor. He had kept her sane these past few weeks. Sane and alive. It was her turn to repay that, to pull him back from his own grief, and to push them forward.

"Thank you," she told him. He looked up from the attempt at food that was sitting on his plate, nodded once. She reached out with a hand, touched his arm lightly. "I mean that."

He turned a little, not needing to ask what she meant, and shifted in the chair so that their knees were almost touching. "I know."

She slipped one of her hands into one of his, lacing her fingers between his. "You don't want to stay here."

He did not meet her eyes. "You'll want to stick close to General Kenobi."

Ahsoka sighed. She did, in a way, want to stay close to Master Kenobi, the only other Jedi she had seen since the horrible purge began. On the other hand, she was not particularly fond of Tatooine, either. It was full of busy spaceports, of people coming and going all the time. Right now, there was chaos in the galaxy. Sooner or later, someone would notice a runaway clone and a Togruta woman traveling together. When bounty hunters came through searching for missing Jedi, they would stand out. They would be hunted. Master Kenobi, a lone human male by himself, who was planning on leaving the city soon, would be seen as just another aimless drifter.

Tatooine, eventually, would become too dangerous. If she was to resign herself to being an exile, she wanted to be somewhere safer, that had less sand and no memories.

"My first mission was here," she said, quietly. He glanced up at her, gold-brown eyes meeting bright blue. "Remember?"

That garnered an attempt at a smile from him. He managed a smirk. "You really were a kid."

She squeezed his fingers, hard, half playful, half annoyed. He squeezed back, and their mood began to lighten for a moment, thinking of better times. "I suppose we could find a planet that has some better food," she mentioned, as casually as she could, glancing at the grayish mess on his plate. "Maybe some wildlife. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere, where the Republic can't find us."

Rex stiffened, and she felt his anger in the way he clutched her hand. "The Empire," he said bitterly, "is _not_ the Republic."

"No, I suppose it's not," she replied, keeping her voice soft and determined. She reached out with her other hand, took his remaining free one, and placed them on her knees. "I don't like it, Rex. Hiding. But do you really think you could fight your brothers?"

"Do you really think you could fight General Skywalker?"

She bent her head. "Master is dead. If he's still in there, somewhere, he's locked away so deep I can't even hope to get through. It'd take more than me to turn him back, if it's possible at all."

She felt him brush his thumb across the side of her hand, a small, comforting caress.

"Then we follow General Kenobi's orders," Rex decided. "Hide. Wait."

After a moment, she added, "And hope."

They left Tatooine two days later.

* * *

Enjoying so far?

A couple of side notes: First, if you want something a little lighter after all this drama, I posted a short, funny side story called _Head Banging_ awhile ago that takes place in this timeline. You can find it in my profile. Second, I built a C2 community for Rex/Ahsoka fics, called _Captain and Commander_. It should be in the communities section. There are some wonderful stories in there, so please check them out! ^_^

I actually found the quote at the beginning of this chapter after writing it – I just finished reading the _Count of Monte Cristo_ (good stuff, but looooong book) and it was the closing advice of the Count. It seemed rather apt.

~Queen


	12. Act 2 Scene 3 what they learned

Act 2. Scene 3. what they learned

* * *

The moon was small, heavily forested, lightly populated, and far away from everything they ever knew.

They took their time reaching it, booking passage separately on old freighters and tankers, keeping their heads down and their interactions to a minimum. To any who would have looked, the grimy-looking, rough spoken human man and timid, easily frightened Togruta woman were utter strangers. To any who may have cared to make deeper observations, they would have begun to see small flickers of movement, little gestures, quick glances, that belied their non-acquaintance, and gave lie to the personalities and names each adopted for the trip. Their years of communicating wordlessly though little looks and motions served them well.

It was a quiet world they chose. A gas giant hung heavily in the sky above it, striped vibrant vermillion and violet hues obvious even in the light of day. Smaller, paler moons were visible at times, hanging low in the smooth blue sky of their chosen world.

There were barely half a million people on the whole of the moon. Most were concentrated in the one spaceport. The rest were scattered, living in dozens of little villages across the surface.

It was a simple place, with simple technologies and pulsing nature. There was nothing there that was of any value to the expanding Empire. Only the locals cared for the lush, native fruit trees, heavily laden at harvest with fist-sized red fruit they called _pome_.

They chose a village in the temperate region, which was just entering the beginning of its growing season. It was a beautiful sight, when they reached it, coming over a mountain at midday, their ancient landspeeder rumbling crankily beneath them, to see soft clouds of white flowers dusting the entire village and beyond. White petals would drift steadily past them, falling like heart shaped, unmelting snow.

Ahsoka would close her eyes, hold out a hand, and feel the texture of it in her palm. Rex would watch her, and find a smile.

It was an utterly different place from Coruscant, from the _Resolute_, from the countless different places they'd been sent on missions. Life there was different from anything they had ever before experienced.

They learned.

They learned first how to assemble makeshift, pre-fabricated parts of a house. They learned how to dig into the soft earth in the hills and create a framework for a more lasting building. They learned how to build fences, how to identify edible local flora. They learned which animals were safe and which were dangerous.

They learned that outsiders were often regarded with suspicion, and that their new neighbors would take time to accustom themselves to their presence.

Ahsoka learned that you should be careful which new, alien plants you mixed together in a pot. She learned that sometimes they explode if not watched carefully. Eventually, she learned to let Rex do the cooking.

Rex learned that it was very important to listen to Ahsoka when she said ominous things like, "That weird bug is going to bite you if you keep doing that." He learned that Ahsoka was actually quite good at wrapping bandages around bug-bitten, swollen hands. Eventually, he learned to let Ahsoka deal with the garden.

They learned to celebrate birthdays.

"It's not the Western Sea," Rex told her, as they reached the shoreline of a blue lake one day, "but we can swim in it." She promptly grabbed his hand and dragged him, splashing, knee-deep into the water before kissing him senseless.

They learned to have picnics in the evenings in the spring, when the white blossoms would drift down from the trees into their cups of _pome_-cider, and Rex learned that it was very easy to fall asleep with his head on Ahsoka's lap, watching the planet above drift brightly between the branches of the fruit trees.

They also learned that there would be moments when Ahsoka would stop, and stare at the sky, and shudder with sudden cold. Rex learned, that at such times, it was wisest to stand beside her, take her hand, and quietly wait for her to collect herself. She would murmur to him, at such times, "There is a disturbance in the Force," and he would understand that another world had fallen to the Empire, or another battle had begun to rage between the stars.

They learned to watch the Holonet with trepidation.

They learned patience, to know that this war was being fought and they were waiting for a new battle.

They learned the Rebellion was being led by those without the Force to guide them, and were fighting long and hard. They learned that it would be a new order that came from this new war, and for that order to form, the old would have to give way.

They learned they were that old way, and, slowly, they learned acceptance. They learned to be exiles.

They learned, in their first winter, of the large predators that would come down from the mountains, and would swipe at any undefended living thing.

They learned their neighbors were very grateful to them when such creatures consistently vanished whenever they came too close to the little house nestled just out of sight of the village, with the strange human man and peculiar Togruta woman living within it.

They learned the following spring that their neighbors were actually quite friendly, and happy to show them how to graft trees to produce more fruit, or cut back vines to grow more vegetables.

The little piece of land they settled grew into their home.

The ebb and flow of time rolled onward, and it was in this manner that the years began to pass.

* * *

_Pome_ are apples, '_pome'_ being the botanical term for fruits from flowering trees, such as apples and pears. It's a backwater in the middle of nowhere, so they must have some native flora….

I didn't know of any plants in the SW universe that would make sense here soooo…I made it up. Creative, ain't I? XD

Their little moon is meant to be a little bit Lurmen village in season one, and a little bit _Firefly_. Think low-tech, middle-of-nowhere, a little frontier-ish and moderately isolationist, and you've got the idea.

~Queen


	13. Act 2 Scene 4 the process of patience

Act 2. Scene 4. the process of patience

* * *

He held two mugs of warm cider in his hands.

Rex walked steadily, trying not to spill the liquid, around the corner of the house and into the garden, where Ahsoka was sitting, up to her elbows in dirt, weeds, and newly sprouted green plants. A floppy, much used – and badly abused – hat sat on her head. He smiled, remembering her rather comical frustration when she had stormed into the house one day, waving the hat and shrieking, "_I do not have a human head!_" She then proceeded to hack the top of it off with a pair of scissors, jam it over her montrals, and stomp back outside, grumbling about hats never being designed for Togrutas.

Dirt was smudged over her cheeks, and caked beneath her fingernails. She looked up from under the brim of her hat when his shadow fell across her. He sat down beside her, kicking a pile of weeds out of the way, and handed her a mug. She took it gratefully, sighing. It was still cool, though the days were warming as spring began to wear on. "Thank you," she said, leaning against him for a moment in appreciation, then sitting upright to finish off the drink.

He sipped his own, and they sat silently for a moment.

Another year. It was the seventh, since they arrived. The anniversary brought a fresh memory of the loss.

A sip. The cider was sweet.

"I've made progress," Ahsoka announced, using her free hand to hover over the plant before her. She closed her eyes, set down her mug, and a look of calm concentration crossed her face. The bright green shoots began to curl upward, small leaves sprouting from the stem as it reached upward, striving to reach her hand. She opened her eyes, pulled back, and watched two new leaves open near the top as the growth slowed. "We won't have to worry so much about drought this year."

Last year had been difficult, dry. "If we're the only house with a growing garden, we'll stand out."

She looked thoughtful for a moment, then gave him a sly smile. "Then we won't _be_ the only house with a growing garden." The smile faded, and she looked at the greenery that lay before her. "So many years using the Force to fight. To guard, to protect. It's necessary, and important, but sometimes I wonder what we could do if there really was peace." She reached out and touched a new leaf with a finger, her expression growing bitter.

He knew that face. Down the years, they had both learned some measure of acceptance over their exile. But the anniversary brought out the doubts, the fears, the guilt. The guilt of survival. There were so few who shared with them the burden of living on.

Another sip. The cider seemed, now, too tart. It soured in the back of his mouth.

"I should have _known_," she said.

It was a ritual now. He remembered the words from previous years. Rex set down his mug, took her dirt-crusted hand in his, lightly, twining fingertips. "No one did. I didn't. General Kenobi didn't. Not even Master Yoda."

He knew the protest that was about to come, when she puckered her lips and got that stubborn look in her eyes. He interrupted her before she began. "I know you were his Padawan. He was General Kenobi's Padawan. That didn't change anything, either."

She scowled for a moment, then closed her eyes and sighed, letting it go. It was an old argument, one she had lost many times. "I know," she said, tiredly.

Sometimes he thought it was easier for him, knowing he was, at least, carrying out General Kenobi's last orders. It grated on Ahsoka, especially on the days when she would sense new troubles unfolding through the Force. There were days when he thought she would take off, running, try to do something reckless. He'd pull her back.

"We're waiting to rebuild," he told her, looking at her profile. She closed her eyes, lowered her head. "You have to survive. You _are_ the Jedi Order. You and whatever few others are still left, in hiding. If there's any hope for a return, you have to live. You know what the Empire has done to the surviving Jedi they've found."

He watched her shudder. There had been only one choice, really, the night of Order 66. It was the first time, and the last time, he had broken an order given to him. It was as liberating as it was devastating. He followed General Kenobi's order to hide because he wanted to. He believed it was right. And it strengthened the mission he had given himself that fateful night: keep Ahsoka alive. He was a clone, expendable to everyone but her. Keeping her alive was all he could do, now, for the Republic and the ideals it struggled so hard to represent. The Republic, trying to do what was right, even through the deep flaws that eventually left it cracked, broken, gone. Ahsoka was a Jedi, a little light in dark times, and in her would be the future.

He hoped he could live long enough to see it.

Ahsoka had opened her eyes, and was reaching out with a hand again, her plant curling up towards her fingers. It had taken time, for her to learn the trick of it, to wait for the roots to catch last season, to spread out and plunge down.

He watched as the vine wrapped itself around her hand, steadily growing stronger.


	14. Act 2 Scene 5 at twice the speed

Act 2. Scene 5. at twice the speed

* * *

Ahsoka was in the middle of snuggling deeper when she noticed Rex was awake.

She was barely conscious herself; it was the small hours of the morning, ice cold outside, and Rex was doing very well as her very comfortable human radiator. Burrowing deeper into the blankets and closer to him was a thoroughly enjoyable way to keep the chill off. Fuzzily, she squinted a little, focusing on his outline. The angles and curves of his face were graced with the silver-lavender planetlight pressing through the thin window curtains, the brightness catching here and there, highlighting his brows, nose, cheek and chin, leaving the half closer to her awash in shadow. He had a hand raised just above the blanket, fingers extended. His eyes, dark, were focused, and his lips were downturned.

She could feel his apprehension. Something was wrong.

"Rex?" She was sleepy and hoped it wasn't anything too serious. Perhaps he had a nightmare and couldn't sleep? They'd each had more than their share of those down the years. She cuddled closer, hoping to give him some of her warmth and calm. "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

She squeezed her eyes shut. He was not fine. She didn't need to be a Jedi to tell that. His anxiety was hanging tensely around him. His voice was flat, hard, and as he spoke, his hand dropped down abruptly. He didn't want to worry her about whatever it was that was bothering him. She sighed. "No, you're not. What's wrong?"

He lay still. She frowned, lifted herself up a little so she could see him better. He looked at her, then turned his head away. "It's nothing," he said.

"It's the middle of the night, Rex. Stop being the stoic soldier and tell me what's wrong."

She waited, and, still not looking at her, he said, "I'm old."

She blinked, trying to rouse her brain enough to think. She was still a little groggy from sleep. Nightmares she had handled before; Rex deciding to have a personal crisis before sunrise was more than she was used to processing. It finally clicked. "This is about what that kid said in town yesterday. Rex, he couldn't have been more than four. Anyone over the age of twenty is a grandpa to someone that age."

His tension didn't ease. "That's not funny," he said.

"I wasn't trying to be funny," she shot back, waking up further and beginning to feel alarmed.

"I'm an old man, Ahsoka. Look at me. Look at you. It doesn't _bother_ you?"

Bewildered now, she shook her head. "What? No. Why? You're not that old." He sighed, frustrated. She wasn't sure what to say. She tried to reassure him. "You're you. You've always been you. And older than me. Sort of. It's just a little more pronounced now." She smiled, hoping to win him over. "People get old. It happens. I'm not that young anymore either."

Somehow, it seemed to make it worse. He shifted uncomfortably, and she was pushed away in the process. "You're the age you're supposed to be," he said gruffly, and she could hear him working to control his tone, to keep it firm instead of miserable. "I was never even supposed to _get _old."

She almost spluttered out another, "What?" but managed to bite it back before it slipped out. She stared at him. He was glaring up at the ceiling. Suddenly, his expression softened, and he simply looked careworn.

Clones age at twice the speed of a normal human. She had watched, during the last couple years, as lines had begun to wear their way across his face, then deepen, etching themselves into grooves beside his eyes. The first stray silver hairs had appeared just over a year ago. He now had fine grey streaks that streamed back behind his ears.

She had begun to notice the first, fine lines around her own eyes as well, but she was still several years from reaching the middle age Rex had prematurely entered.

He never expected to get this old. Clones age at twice the speed of a normal human, because they needed to grow up fast enough to be placed on the battlefield.

Rex would have lived his life expecting to die by catching a blaster shot. Not a slow, declining death due to age. She suddenly wished holding him would be all it took to make it right. Unless things changed very much in the future, he would likely die before her. Someday later, she would follow. Then there would be no need for hiding.

"When we die," she said quietly, "we go out into the Force. The body is just temporary, whatever it looks like, and however it deteriorates. It's not fair that you're going more quickly than you should, Rex." She reached up, placed a hand on his face, gently turned him to look at her. "It's not. But you're still you. I can see that. You are unique in the Force. You're you, and you're still my handsome Captain who does reckless things like charging in to rescue me, even when you shouldn't." She kissed his forehead. "You always will be. No matter how old either of us are."

He looked at her, considering. She noticed he began to ease a little, shoulders relaxing back into the pillow as her words reached him. She pushed further and said, lightly, with a mischievous little smile he recognized quite well, "Besides, you look very," she leaned in closer, pressed her lips against his silvering temple, "_distinguished_." She grinned, tilted her head, and lifted her brows suggestively.

He blinked up at her once, expressions shifting across his face rapidly, and ultimately settled into amusement. "Distinguished?"

"Oh yes. Very," she leaned in again, kissing his temple, then his cheek, murmuring warmly, "Very _distinguished_."

"Now you're trying to distract me."

She beamed, wickedly. "Is it working?"

It took a moment for him to decide, and then he managed a low chuckle. "You're incorrigible."

"And you're stubborn."

"So are you."

"Well, we're well matched then," she laughed, burrowing herself down into the covers again. "You're my dear Captain, Rex. Always will be, no matter how old we get." She contentedly began to curl back up against him, satisfied the crisis was being averted. She would have to keep an eye on him for awhile, make sure it stuck. She could still feel the undercurrent of his worry there, but it was now submerged, sinking beneath the more familiar, calm waves of his appreciation, affection, and love for her. She placed a small kiss on his shoulder as she settled back down, slipping an arm across his chest. Always so comfortable, her Rex. She yawned.

He pulled her tighter against him, wrapped an arm around her waist and buried his head into her shoulder. "Thank you."

She looked down at him thoughtfully as he began to do a little more than try to feel comforted. His hands were sliding down her headtails to the hem of her shirt, then under, and she could feel him beginning to nibble on her shoulder. She said, amusedly, "Hm, maybe I distracted you _too _much."

A pause. Then, wryly, "Too early, _Ahs'ika_?"

She reached out again, sensed a certain need to prove himself, a need thoroughly mixed with an increasingly heated feeling of desire, and a fading sense of worry. She pulled his face to hers with a laugh. "You're incorrigible too."

They went back to sleep sometime later.

***

* * *

I'm not really counting the years/ages too exactly any more, but Ahsoka should be somewhere in her early thirties, and Rex should be biologically in his mid-forties at this point. And this is an inevitable problem for a clone – aging so quickly. And unexpectedly surviving so long, probably expecting to die in battle long before reaching middle age. It's too unfair….

On a side note, I just uploaded another SW fic, called _Said the Joker to the Thief_. It's become a new project as _Pieces_ begins to wind down. You can find it under my profile. ^_^

~Queen


	15. Act 2 Scene 6 millions of voices

Act 2. Scene 6. millions of voices

* * *

He ducked, shifting his weight forward and twisting to the side, dodging the sword that bit through the air where he was standing.

Rex turned, swinging around fast, bringing his elbow back in what he hoped would be a strike to her chest. But she was too fast, leaning back and spiraling away while his arm impacted only air. He fought to keep balance as the twist set him halfway into an awkward turn. His feet moved, keeping low to the ground, shifting into a more stable position. He followed through with the sweep, the sword in his hand making a hard, clunking sound as wood met wood. The vibration of it echoed up through his arms and into his chest. He gritted his teeth as she blocked it easily.

They paused, and Ahsoka smiled. "You're getting better at dodging. I didn't hit you this time."

He wasn't sure if he should laugh or groan at the number of times he'd been whacked in various body parts as Ahsoka had tried to teach him swordplay. He already ached everywhere, from today's practice. There were two upsides to the ache. One, it meant he was learning something. Two, it meant he would be able to talk Ahsoka into massaging his back later tonight.

The second upside was more enjoyable than the first. Especially since it was very easy to roll over afterward, grab her waist, and suggest other interesting activities.

A sudden swat across his backside with a wooden sword snapped him out of his thoughts. Ahsoka was grinning, and taking up another offensive stance. "No getting distracted, Rex old boy." She tilted her head to the side and lifted a brow, knowingly. He suspected she knew what he was planning, and judging by her growing smile, was probably not against it.

He sank into a defensive stance, and was barely ready before she flashed forward with a strike toward his head.

Rex supposed it was to be expected. They didn't go easy on each other when they practiced hand-to-hand, either. They were usually serious, but occasionally while they wriggled around trying to pin or throw each other, they'd end up on the grass laughing. Swordplay, he thought, involved a lot more bruising and a lot less rolling on the ground with Ahsoka.

Training was an attempt to keep each other sharp. There was only so much hunting cold-weather predators could do to stave off the indolence of ordinary life. They'd sanded down a pair of wooden staves, making them into practice swords. Ahsoka swore it wasn't the same as wielding a lightsaber – heavier, more awkward, and without the advantage of being able to shut off the blade– but they didn't dare bring her weapon out of storage. They usually traveled a couple kilometers up into the mountains to train, to keep away from the prying eyes of the neighbors.

They were far into the mountains now, and it was a warm, comfortable early autumn. They'd packed supplies for a weekend trip. The hike up had been beautiful, plants full of burnished bronze and ochre hues, the tinted leaves rustling pleasantly in the moving air. It would be harvest soon.

He blocked the blow at his head; it was an obvious strike, one she used frequently, more to make sure he was paying attention than anything else. Using the flat of the sword, he flicked hers to the side, only to find her stepping forward with the pommel aimed at his gut and her body too low to make an easy hit. He backpedaled, giving her enough time and space to sweep upward again. The tip of her sword came to a stop an inch from his chin. He let out a breath as she moved it carefully backward.

"That was a good block, but left you too open." She paused, tilted her head. "Maybe we should review. How about some forms instead?"

A break, and therefore a chance to give himself a moment to recover. He knew Ahsoka wasn't going as fast or hard as she could – she was a Jedi, after all - but it was still tough work, nonetheless. He breathed deeply, focusing himself. He stretched out his arms, then nodded as he stood still, waiting to see which pattern she would be testing him on.

Ahsoka stepped forward, slowly, wooden sword swinging gradually around. He stepped easily into the counter pose, blocking it. The swords clicked lightly against each other. She stepped to one side. He mirrored, then lifted the sword as hers swooped around to tap against his again. It was a slow and well rehearsed dance, him flowing through the form, her posing as the opposite, the attacker the set was made to defend against. He shifted his weight, turning away. She followed. He breathed in, gathering energy for what would be a burst of speed and strength against a real opponent. A slow stab slid forward. She evaded, then grew suddenly still.

He paused in the slow rhythm. Her face had become cold, and her eyes closed, painfully squeezed shut. She straightened, but her head remained bent.

It was far from the first time. Rex dropped his sword, stood closer to her, lightly brushed his hands across her cheeks. Her head tilted upward, and her eyes opened again.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded, once, but flinched slightly at the motion. He drew her against him. Her sword slipped from her fingers and she wrapped her arms around his waist. They lingered there for a moment, until Ahsoka said, "We need to go home. Something has happened. Worse than usual."

He pulled back, searched her face. There was only a look of profound sadness. Down the years, they had come to realize that the worst actions and atrocities were always performed by Vader. Ahsoka understood the fall of her Master was not her fault, that nothing could be done to change that, but a stain of guilt remained, a pain that was tucked well away, but would always be refreshed when ill news reached them. Worse than usual almost certainly meant Vader was involved.

"Millions of voices," she murmured. "Millions of voices, all at once. They screamed. They screamed and then they were gone…." She shivered, the feeling too much like the one she experienced the night the Jedi fell. "Something has changed, Rex. And not for the better."

They reached home by evening.

It was then they learned of the destruction of Alderaan.

* * *

***

I know nothing, really, about swordfighting, either kendo or fencing. _Kata_, (forms) in karate, however, are structured to contain the basic blocks, kicks, strikes, punches and various other movements needed to fight an opponent (or multiple opponents, depending on complexity). A good way to practice _kata_ is to have someone 'attack' while you go through one of the motions in the _kata_ to illustrate what it's used to defend against. Certain movements are done quickly, but most at a slower pace for practice and obtaining proper form. Ahsoka is simply filling in the 'opponent' position while Rex tries to do the _kata_ itself.

And yes, Alderaan. Guess when we are! ;)

~Queen


	16. Act 2 Scene 7 and they breathed

Act 2. Scene 7. and they breathed

* * *

The music thrummed through the night.

It was a thing they had both come to love about their home; so insulated, so distant, so uncaring in most ways, of the events outside its borders, that daily life always flowed forward, and it forced them to glide along with it. It was hard to remain upset, disturbed, or sad when the entire community was working, living, moving ever forward, and, of course, preparing for annual festivals.

Ahsoka was in a better mood today, and tried to keep herself from swaying to the pulse of the beat as she waited for Rex to return to her side. They'd started out slowly that night, walking into the meadow orchard just as the sun set, and the planetlight began to illuminate the groves. Tables were set up around a clear space, heavily laden with food. Sweets of many kinds were laid out on display, though most made of the newly ripened fruit that hung so heavily from the trees. Should anyone find the array of desserts not to their liking, it was easy to reach up into the nearest tree, pluck a fruit, wipe it off on a leg, and bite into its sweetness.

The air was full of fruit smells, smoke from fires, people chattering, and the sounds of instruments - plucked, strummed, struck, played by any local with even a slight ear for music. Dancers spun in dizzy circles in the clearing, the bright, many-colored fabrics of their clothes twirling around and catching bits of light from lanterns.

She took in a breath, her thoughts turning darker. It was nearing twenty years. Their home. It stood in such stark contrast to the Empire. Peace here was tremulous. She remembered the Lurmen village of so long ago; it would be so easy for the Empire to use this place as a base, or a testing ground for weapons. Such little defenses did they have. The thought of the destruction of this place she and Rex had made their own struck a chord of anger in her. She breathed out, letting it fade away. It was a lesson imprinted so strongly upon her from her Master's fall – no good comes from anger, no good comes from rage.

Perhaps this was what Obi-wan meant so long ago. _Patience_.

Another breath. Patience is a struggle in itself.

Twenty years, or nearly. It felt as though for all these years she had been holding her breath. This was her home. A home she had never expected to have, a life with a man she never thought she could keep. But for all its comfort and warmth, there was an aspect missing. She was Jedi. Would always be Jedi.

_Patience_. And she had been patient. So patient. For so long.

Alderaan.

Reports on the method of its destruction were unclear. Rumors and speculation were flying around the Holonet; there was no point in listening to them. Was it the end? Whatever weapon capable of destroying a planet could hold a galaxy hostage, and keep a despot Emperor on the throne for an eternity.

There could also be a price for patience. Had they done the right thing, remaining in silent exile?

"Ahsoka?" Rex's voice was light as he stepped up behind her. She brought her face into a warmer smile before he could see her expression, and guess the seriousness of her thoughts. This was supposed to be a night of fun; she had brooded for days already. She turned her head, and accepted the hard cider he was offering. It glinted brown-gold in the light of the torch stuck nearby. She took a sip. It was tart, sharp, with the faint odor of alcohol beneath the scent of the fruit. She smiled up at him, then sidled closer, leaning herself comfortably against him. Rex, long since silver haired, slipped an arm around her waist as he drank deeply from his own cup.

They watched the dance. The turn and the spin of the dancers. They'd had a turn around the orchard's clearing earlier in the evening, exhausting themselves as they swung in circles, keeping up pace. It was for this reason they were taking a break. A chance to breathe.

Something changed.

Amid the dance, amid the music, something abruptly changed. It echoed at first, in the back of her mind, like low thunder in the distance. Then rolled in, sweepingly, the thunder booming across the dark night of space, growing louder, roaring as it rippled outward, washing over her in a flood.

_Joy_.

The cup slipped out of her fingers, landing with a splash across her shoes. She gasped. Distantly, she heard Rex calling her name, worried. His hands were on her face.

_Celebration_.

It was a reverberation she could feel throughout herself. There was an infinite moment then, as she reached outward, feeling the tide of the Force shift, turn, pivot, much like the dancers that spun across the clearing, so unknowing of the change that was spreading across the galaxy.

_Hope_.

She came back to herself. Rex was holding her, and she was aware of where she was again. Aware of Rex, of how some of their neighbors were either watching them curiously or coming over to ask if she needed help.

"I'm alright, I'm alright," she repeated, a little unsteadily. She had presence of mind enough now to laugh, "I think I just need to sit down," she wobbled a little bit, leaning heavily on Rex. His expression did not change, though their friends began to chuckle and accept that Ahsoka was just a little drunk. She wasn't exactly the only one this late in the evening's festivities.

He guided her to one of the benches just outside of the circle of torches, where no people stood. They sat amid a puddle of flickering firelight. "What happened?" His face was serious, braced for the worst, and grew puzzled as she smiled at him, brilliantly.

"It's changed again, Rex," she said. "And this time, I think for good." She turned her eyes to the night sky.

"Changed? Again?" he prompted as she stared up and outward. An uncertain note crept into his voice, as though he did not quite yet dare to hope. "What? How?"

"I don't know. But something very good just happened." Her smile turned into a laugh. She clasped her hands for a moment, wondrously, then pressed them to her lips. "And it's _growing_."

They sat in silence for a moment, looking at the stars and the planet that hung heavily above them. Rex asked the inevitable question, lowly, cautiously. He took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. "Is it time?"

She did not need to ask what he meant. Long ago, Obi-wan had told her she would know when it was time to return. Time to rebuild. A return of the Jedi. She closed her eyes, reached out into the Force, came to a decision. "No. Not yet. But soon." Her eyes opened, reflecting stars and torchlight. "It is not yet time. But it is coming. Someone, somehow, has breathed new hope into the struggle against the Empire, and the tide has been turned."

Her hand tightened within his, this time not from fear or worry, but from happiness and the anticipation of a new future.

Around them, the Force breathed.

* * *

***

That would have been the Battle of Yavin that Ahsoka just picked up.

Kind of sad to say but…one chapter left. Please look forward to it!

~Queen


	17. Act 2 Scene 8 the end is the beginning

Act 2. Scene 8. the end is the beginning

_*

* * *

_

It was an ordinary morning.

Rex stood at the stove, flipping the last of the flapjacks onto a plate piled high. Ahsoka slipped up beside him, sliding an arm around his waist as she leaned in for a quick morning peck on the cheek. A smile spread across his face, and he wrapped an arm around her, turned off the gas to the stove. "Good morning," he said.

"That smells delicious," she replied, distracted by the heap of steaming food he was picking up.

"Then you should eat some."

"Perhaps I will," she laughed, turning with him and easing away as they walked over to the table. There was a soft clatter of dishes and silverware as they sat down.

Then there was a shift in the Force.

Her fingers stilled as they reached forward to take her breakfast. She tilted her head. It was the oddest feeling, not unlike the chill of new snow falling and settling onto her montrals at the beginning of winter. Gently cold, and not unpleasant, though it made her repress a shiver. She blinked a few times, rapidly, trying to place the sensation. It was peculiar in its familiarity, the call of something she knew she should recognize. She sat back in her chair, cast a glance around the room. It was, of course, empty save for Rex, who had paused, a forkful of flapjack on the way to his mouth. "Something wrong?" he asked.

"No," she said cautiously. "It's just…odd." The cool feeling was not abating, but now she could sense a certain ripple of amusement in it. She frowned, and stood. "I'm not sure. Something is…different, somehow."

She paced the room, once, looking around until her eyes rested upon the door. She walked to it, opened it, and could hear the sound of Rex's chair scraping across the floor as he stood to follow her.

She stepped outside. The planet hung heavily in the sky above them, and the morning was cool with dew and pink-orange morning light. She felt water slipping beneath her bare feet as they moved over the grass. She stretched out with the Force, finding something shimmering just beyond her reach. She turned a corner, and before her lay her garden, all green and grey and full of heavily laden vegetable plants, with a translucent, ice pale form that seemed to be perusing one of the taller ones thoughtfully.

She stared for a moment, then, in a squeak, managed, "_Master_?"

Behind her, she heard Rex suck in a breath.

Before her, Anakin Skywalker looked up, grinned, and said, "Hey, Snips." He looked past her, and a brow lifted as he added, more dryly, "And Rex." He looked between them for a moment, looking a little amused. "I guess this explains a few things. You better have been taking care of my young Padawan, Captain."

Rex was staring as well, but the words seemed to snap him to attention. He struggled for a moment, then burst out with a sharp, "Yes, sir."

Anakin smiled.

With one hand, Ahsoka covered her mouth, and with the other, she reached backward and grabbed Rex's hand, tightly. Real. It was real. It could only be real. She could feel him clutching at her hand in return, and that connection was all that could keep her from shaking from shock and fear and joy and relief.

She reached out with the Force. It had been many years, so many, since she had tried. Before, there was only a black void of rage, of pain, and of despair. The signature of Vader.

This was different, familiar. A little hard, a bit worried, somewhat fearful, but protective and strong and _safe_ and all things that she was used to sensing, feeling, when her Master was near. "Oh," she said, and felt tears begin to warm her eyes. There was also guilt, and sadness, and regret, and the presence of a burden, of conscience, of awareness of who he was and what he had done, become, and ultimately what he had overcome. "_Oh_!" she gasped as the feeling of Light radiated out towards her from him, of old memories and of the way things were supposed to be. Then she was stepping backward, and Rex's hands were supporting her, holding her shoulders in a firm, steady grip.

Anakin was serious again, but the smile remained on his ghostly lips. "There's someone you need to meet, Snips," he told her, with a look of almost overwhelming pride. "He's going to need some help."

Ahsoka's mouth moved, but only a choked sound came out. Rex asked for her, "Who, sir?"

But then there was only an enigmatic smile, and a phantom that then faded with the growing sunlight.

They stood in that tableau for some time. Rex's arm slipped around Ahsoka's shoulders to draw her against him. Moment by moment, she eased, relaxing into the familiar stance, and into Rex's familiar warmth.

Faintly, ever so faintly, he heard her say, "We have to leave, Rex. It's time. It's finally time."

* * *

***

A few days later, the people of the village watched as the two who lived in the little cottage just outside their borders drove their battered old landspeeder out of town. It was a strange sight to behold. It seemed that though the pair were not natives to their world, they had been there so long they were as much a part of it as anyone else. People did not generally leave for the greater galaxy outside. Neighbors muttered and shook their heads, speculating on what tidings could draw them away.

But there was an unmistakable change in the two, for those who cared to look closely. A sense of purpose that had surfaced, a determination in their faces that few had ever had a chance to glimpse before. When they paused a few times to say their farewells, it came to notice that Rex had shaved his hair down to a decidedly militaristic buzz, and a pair of old but well kept handblasters were holstered on his hips.

Ahsoka, perhaps even more strangely, wore a headdress of pointed teeth framing her face. And, half hidden beneath a cloak, few made note of a silver cylindrical object attached to her side, strongly reminiscent of a Jedi's lightsaber, though everyone knew that was an impossibility – there were no more Jedi, and Ahsoka, their old acquaintance, could hardly be one.

It was all very strange.

And then, just as they came so many years ago, they left, heading into the mountains and towards the moon's sole spaceport.

***

* * *

The first time they heard the name 'Skywalker' spoken again, it had startled them. It was in passing as they traveled, a snippet of conversation overheard, and they decided that perhaps they had not heard clearly, or misunderstood. They shook it off and continued their search for the rumored Force user that the Rebellion had with them.

***

* * *

The second time they heard the name 'Skywalker', it was preceded by a name different than 'Anakin', and it was no mistake.

"I didn't think Master had any family," Ahsoka said, uncertainly.

"A coincidence?" Rex suggested, looking doubtful. "Seems odd, though."

She frowned. The memory of so many years ago resurfaced; a day on Coruscant, a day that Skyguy was running late, only to be found standing so close beside Senator Amidala, his fingers resting lightly on her cheek, face more gentle than she had ever seen it. She knew that expression; that softness in the eyes and that lightness of hand. She had received such a look many times from Rex, and had recognized it unmistakably.

No family? Senator Amidala had been unusually secretive those last few months on Coruscant, secluding herself often. Why? Coincidence? No. Skywalker. A Force sensitive named Skywalker. She wondered, suddenly, what his age was.

"Maybe," Ahsoka admitted, reluctantly, but for the first time, she began to think whatever plan Master Kenobi and Master Yoda had put into action was far subtler and more dangerous than anything she had ever considered it could be.

***

* * *

The Rebel base – though now it wasn't so much a Rebellion anymore as it was a fledgling government – rang with activity. The sound of people shouting, talking, calling to each other. The sound of machines humming and droids skittering about, of spacecraft taking off, landing, being repaired. The smell of carbon, ozone and machine oil filled the air. It was worlds away from their quiet little home in the backwater, and altogether reminiscent of younger days, though the people were changed, brighter. This was a base on a side that had won, and was now only in the process of solidifying that final victory, and was taking the first shaky steps towards rebuilding what had long since been lost.

Ahsoka's lips puckered, then twisted to the side as she took a look around. Rex stopped beside her, searching as well. It had taken time. It was quite possible they were going to miss this mysterious Skywalker they'd been searching for again, despite what the Wookie at the hangar doors said about looking for him with an astromech. An astromech in a hangar bay meant preparation for another trip, and they'd been chasing this guy – or the promise of him, at least – across what felt like half the galaxy.

"Anything?" Rex prompted, as she nodded, closed her eyes, and focused.

After a moment, they snapped open. "He's still here." Her face lit, and she brushed her hand across Rex's arm, indicating her direction and aiming for the back of the bay. The Force was strong with him, son of Anakin or not. If he was, what would the reaction of people be? To learn their savior was the child of their most hated and feared enemy?

As they moved towards the back, the people thinned. It wasn't a man that first caught her attention. It was the high-pitched chirp from a droid, standing just before a well cared for X-wing fighter. It was continuing to exert a series of excited noises, and Ahsoka stopped, looking at it for a long moment.

She tilted her head to the side and said, skeptically – what were the odds, anyway? "Artooie?"

The droid's dome swung back around. It whistled, questioningly. Rex and Ahsoka exchanged a surprised glance.

It was a young man's voice that interrupted them, drawing their gazes back. "What is it, R2?"

He was turning around, a dirty oil cloth in hand. R2 was newly polished.

They stood very still as he looked at them, curiosity in his eyes. Of his parentage there could be no doubt; the height, the build, the unmistakable shock of sandy hair. But there was a softness there too, a play about the eyes that hinted more of Padme than Anakin. A way of expression more akin to her.

That gaze focused easily on them, with a face so similar and yet so very different, standing beside R2-D2, before a fighter prepping to launch. Strange and familiar at once. For a moment, they were young again, standing before Anakin, receiving orders before another battle.

Ahsoka looked between them, then down at her own hands. Son of Anakin, son of Vader. Padawan of Anakin, Padawan of Vader. Captain of the 501st, Anakin's legion, Vader's Fist.

Old and new. Past and future. All tied together through their connections with a Jedi who'd fallen and risen again.

The past was dead; the Old Order was gone. It was a thing she and Rex had both come to terms with during their exile. They had, at times, wondered what would happen when – always when, they could not allow themselves to think _if_ – the Empire fell, and they were at last able to return, what they would do.

Help rebuild, somehow, was what they always decided. It was an obvious answer, but also very vague. Rebuild what, with whom, where, and from what materials? It depended too much on the circumstances of their return.

Master Kenobi had said, once, on Tatooine, that when it was time for the Jedi to return, she would be needed. But, looking between the two men beside her, she knew it was not just her. They would each have a role to play. She looked at the young man again.

Children. There was a time, long ago, when that was at risk. The younglings, the future of the Jedi. A stolen holocron. A list of names. A fight over a roaring volcano, to bring some of those children back.

They would be only a few years older than Anakin's son.

Where were those children now? Had any of them survived the purges?

The future. She was quite possibly last of the old Jedi. Rex was former Captain of the legion that had so decimated their ranks night the purge began.

Finding those children that yet remained, and other potentials strong with the Force, could be a gift, from the remnants of the Old Order to the beginning of the New.

They could put something right. Or, at least, begin to make amends. So few. So horrible. But that end would bring change. And they could help shape the coming future. She hoped, for the better.

She looked at Rex, who was watching her, steadily. There was a quirk to his lips then, a minute shift in his face that was a query, yet cautiously bland to anyone other than her. He knew she was contemplating something, and had made a decision. She bowed her head ever so slightly, the corners of her lips turning imperceptibly upward in acknowledgement.

_Yes_.

He nodded once, then stepped up beside her, their shoulders just barely touching, side by side. "You're Luke Skywalker, then," he said, addressing the increasingly puzzled young man before him.

"Yes," came the reply.

Ahsoka made a small movement, a brush of her hand to the side, just enough to draw back the edge of the brown cloak she was wearing. Clipped on her left hip, there was the silver-white cylinder of her lightsaber, still comfortable and familiar in her hand. It was a strange feeling she had then.

For the first time in so many years, she was standing in the open, armed with that most unique of weapons, Rex beside her, and with a new mission to complete.

She felt whole.

Luke's eyes were wide.

"My name," she said, "is Ahsoka Tano. This is Captain Rex."

They smiled.

"We're friends of your father."

*

_End_.

***

* * *

And that, ladies and gents, is that. If you've made it all the way through this, thank you. I'd appreciate any comments you may have – reviews are how fic authors get 'paid' so to speak, and I'd love it if you could drop me a quick line and let me know if you enjoyed my ramblings. They're always welcomed. To everyone who has been kind enough to leave comments already, thank you.

I decided to write a fluffy little side story to go along with this, so there will actually be one more chapter, after all. It will take place earlier in the timeline, though, so this is the real ending.

As always,

~Queen


	18. A Side Story

_Pieces Between_

_A Side Story_

*

Ahsoka tried not to drop the pie, which was warming through the hot pads in her hands.

"Well, don't you worry none," said her new neighbor, a young woman bouncing a now-screaming toddler on her hip, wincing a little from the volume and making small shushing motions at the squalling boy. "Folks 'round here just ain't used to new people. They'll come around. I've got to get this one to his nap, so you and that husband of yours just enjoy that pie," she smiled, trying to get the child to wave at Ahsoka. "Maybe he'll be in a better mood later," she added with a slight wince, when the child just got louder. "Good to meet you!"

"Yes, nice to meet you too," Ahsoka said, trying to keep the flush off her lekku. She watched the young mother and her child head back down the pathway leading from the little house she and Rex had been building piecemeal out of the prefabricated parts and planks of wood they'd been able to buy.

She supposed it made sense, for people to assume they were married. From what little she'd gathered about their new home, people married young, had a dozen kids, ate a lot of fruit, and were more than a little suspicious of outsiders. She breathed in the smell of hot pie, and tried not to juggle it from hand to hand. It would be good to have something not cooked over a campfire or pre-packaged. It was early days here yet, and they did not have many appliances.

She headed inside through the front door – or what would be the front door, once they put the door on. Right now it was more of a tarp that they pinned down at night. Rex was sitting in the middle of the floor, legs folded, with a dozen pieces of – something that would eventually be house – scattered around him. He was alternately scratching his head and trying to fit a couple of knobbly bits of wood together. Ahsoka resisted a chuckle at his befuddled expression, but allowed herself a small smile.

He could take apart a blaster and put it back together in seconds, but apparently pre-cut wood and a screwdriver were deeply puzzling. It was oddly cute, and therefore endearing. She resisted a sudden urge to kiss the top of his head.

"We have pie," she announced, and he looked up as she set it down on the somewhat uneven table they'd made. She poked at it, pushing some of the upper crust down enough to see what was inside. "Looks like more of the local fruit, some nuts and spices. At least someone's friendly around here," she sighed. Rex came to stand near her, and leaned down to smell it. He breathed in deep.

"Smells good. Should we have it for dinner?"

"Definitely," she grinned, then resisted flushing a second time. Deciding what was for dinner. It was weirdly domestic. He tilted his head, curious at her odd expression.

"What?"

Ahsoka shifted a little, sliding her eyes away from him and tried not to fidget. "She called you my husband," she said after a moment, looking determinedly at the pie. She wasn't sure how to go about discussing it. They both seemed to have shied away from talking about that portion of their cover story.

There was a very practical side to pretending to be married. It would fit them in better with the locals, cause less of a fuss, less rumors, and they needed to be as normal, ordinary, and boring a pair as possible. They had apparently caused enough of a stir just by arriving. It made sense to let the locals think they were whatever was most normal in the native culture. They would stand out less. It felt odd, though, when it came down to actually experiencing the situation.

They had never talked about actually taking such a step; they never could. It was impossible. Fruitless to even try.

Always hiding, somehow. Before the purge, they hid their relationship; now, they hid themselves.

She wondered what he thought of their neighbors' mistaken belief. Should they play along?

Rex's eyes were on her. She could feel his gaze, suddenly curious. His voice was quiet, low, when he said, "Have you ever thought of it?"

She looked at up at him, feeling a little embarrassed. He looked away under her gaze, but did not move. He was asking her seriously. She smiled a little. There was a tentative quality to the air, as they tried to broach the subject, with such uncertainty. There had never been a point in discussing it before. Forbidden. Now, they had received an odd kind of freedom. They had to hide themselves, but not their relationship. It opened new possibilities.

Ahsoka bit her lip. She had, on occasion, allowed herself a little daydream of it. It changed from time to time. They would always be somewhere in the Jedi Temple. Sometimes in the Council Chamber, with its beautiful skyline – if she was going to dream, why not dream big, after all? Other times in the Room of a Thousand Fountains with all its greenery. Rex in a polished uniform. Herself in traditional Togrutan wedding dress. They would have a few of their friends with them. Master Skywalker, and, once she realized the relationship between them, Senator Amidala was conjured to stand beside him. Master Kenobi. Cody and a few others from the 501st. Master Luminara and Barriss. Master Plo. In her mind, it was always perfect. No censure, just happiness for and around them.

It could never be. The dead would not return to celebrate such an event, were it ever allowed to take place.

The rest – their lives in that pretend future – didn't seem so different than how they had always been. They would still work. Still be a Jedi and a Captain who fought for the Republic. What she wanted was an acknowledgement of the feelings between them that already existed. The freedom to love freely.

"Yes," she said aloud, softly. Her fingertips were set lightly on the tabletop. "Sometimes."

Rex's arms slipped around her waist, and he bent down enough that his forehead could rest against hers. He said, quietly, "Then I'm yours."

This time, she did flush. She slipped her arms around his neck and pushed up onto her toes to rest her head on his shoulder. The thought of Rex being _hers_ gave her such a thrill of happiness. It was not a feeling of ownership, but rather of belonging and welcome. Her partner and dearest friend. Who was also ever so delightfully handsome. She pressed herself against him, and returned the words in a whisper, soft, against his ear. "And I'm yours."

From her very close position, she saw his mouth curve upward into a smile, and could feel a rumble of laughter building in his chest.

Ahsoka was suddenly struck by how odd it all was, and didn't quite manage to repress a giggle. It was just so bizarre, and yet so right somehow, to be standing in the middle of the house they were building with their own hands, in a backwater no one had ever heard of, at the beginning of a strange and unexpected future. It was a far cry from anything she'd ever imagined, possible or not.

"So should we consider ourselves married?"

The laughter that had been growing in him burst out. She let out a small shriek as he suddenly scooped her up. "What are you doing?" she laughed, legs dangling loosely over his arm.

"I think we need to go mess up our bed," he told her, his grin growing rather wicked.

She couldn't stop laughing. "Bed? What bed? All I recall having is a blanket on the ground."

"Okay, then I think we need to go mess up our blanket on the ground."

She pretended to look thoughtful, and said, with mock seriousness, "Hm, yes, I too feel this sudden need. The blanket needs immediate attention." Then, she added, kissing his cheek, "My dear husband."

"My dear wife," he returned, with a smile so delighted that it lit up his entire face, then spun quickly on his heel, heading towards the house's only other room.

It was good to be home.

***

* * *

I needed my fangirl moment, dammit! XD Forgive the excess of fluff.

And this is the end of the story. (really!) I hope you've all enjoyed!

As always,

~Queen


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